What makes someone turn to crime-especially in a modern, pandemic-riddled dystopia? Danny, a seemingly mundane young man lost in escapism, with a spiraling lack of control over his life, witnesses something during a delivery job that will change him forever, turning things as dark as the black, crocodile skin boots that he can’t take his eyes off of… Crocodile Black #1 is an intriguing start where the devil is in the details.
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Crocodile Black #1 is an interesting start to the series. It features two stories that don’t feel like they have much to do with each other but eventually they intertwine with a result that’s yet to come.
The comic opens with a bang as a hitman takes out their target in a beginning that’s sure to catch the attention of readers. It’s an unexpected start that shocks and makes you pay attention. That’s important, in that it’s those details that gets you to begin to understand how Danny’s story and this opening connect.
What’s interesting is the world that Johnson sets this in. It’s squarely in the pandemic as people are masked up and there’s small disruptions to everyday life. Danny is working as a delivery person but it’s what haunts him that stands out. There’s a trauma in his past he’s working through and while he has some support there’s others who aren’t helping him work through whatever happened.
The comic’s art by SOM is fantastic. Patricio Delpeche provides the colors while Becca Carey handles the lettering. The group together deliver the dots that connect the story before things really begin to come together in the next issue. It’s the small details in the art that really drives home this first issue and if you’re not paying attention, you’ll walk away missing key points. The comic begs for another reading, really another look at the art to piece together the puzzle that’s set up in this debut.
Crocodile Black #1 is an interesting comic. It has some underlying themes that will hit home with folks while delivering a story that also has a bit mystery, action, and crime thriller. It’s a start that will have fans of the genre clamoring for more and awaiting the next issue.
Story: Phillip Kennedy Johnson Art: SOM
Color: Patricio Delpeche Letterer: Becca Carey
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.35 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle
